Finnish adventure in back country skiing and skijoëring
Itinerary
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Day 1 Journey and welcoming dinner
Transfer by bus or by car to Hossa (about 1 hour), at the gates of the park. Settle down in your log cottage or in your hotel room. First night, our guides greet you at the restaurant upon a welcoming dinner.
Accommodation: Traditional Cottage
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Day 2 back-country skiing warm-up
Your guide introduces you to the Park and to the activity. You go for your first skiing hike for the day in order to gently get used to the arctic climate, to the equipment, and to start enjoying the wonderful landscapes. Lunch in the park by a lovely fireplace. We get back to the basecamp in order to have some time to prepare carefully our belongings for the trek.
Practice time : 4 to 5 hours (about 20km)
Accommodation: Traditional Cottage -
Day 3 Back-country skiing Trek - Peurapirti
We leave the basecamp for three days in the heart of the park. By this way of locomotion, you are able to move across every single type of snowy land. Therefore, you go out of the park trails in order to maximize the chances of observing the local wildlife (hares, grouse, ...). Picnic lunch, hot meal at a lovely fireplace by Iikoski river. Arrival in the late afternoon at Peurapirtti trapper cabin.
Practice time : 5 hours (about 25km)
Accommodation: Trapper cabin -
Day 4 Back-country skiing Trek – Varikalio and rock paintings
For the second day of the trek, you leave Peurapirtti hut to head up to the North. You will reach Varikalio rock paintings. These 5000 years old rock paintings stand by an amazing frozen lake. It clearly distinguishes several reindeers, Lappish characters, or even a bear. These paintings are an important historical element for Finland, they are also one of the reasons for the creation of Hossa Park, and the mural is the northernmost of the country. Our picnic lunch is a hot meal in a traditional "Sami" (Lappish people) kota. Return in the late afternoon to Peurapirti or Hirvastupa trapper cabin where you can enjoy a good traditional sauna: the bravest will then jump into the frozen lake after learning how to dig a hole in the ice!
Practice time : 5 hours (about 25km)
Accommodation: Trapper cabin -
Day 5 Back-country skiing Trek– Jatkonvaara Hill
After a comfortable night in your cabin, last stage of our trek with a wooded itinerary. Picnic lunch is taken at a lovely fireplace in Jatkonsalmi. In the afternoon, we climb the Jatkonvaara hill (300m). On this hill, snow carried by the wind has accumulated on trees, constantly inventing new forms. The view point on the top of the hill is magical. From there we will have a wonderful view of the surrounding landscapes and we will measure how vast are the Lappish snowy stretches. Then we get back passing through Seipiniemi peninsula, that we cross from side to side and we finally get back to the basecamp in the early evening.
Practice time : 5 hours (about 25km)
Accommodation:Traditional Cottage -
Day 6 Free Day – Optional activities
This day is dedicated to relaxing: you will enjoy sauna and snowballs fights! For those who wish, there will also be the possibility to practice an optional activity among dogsledding, snowmobiling, reindeer farm visit, snowshoeing, hike with dogs or our 150 dogs kennel visit.
Accommodation: Traditional Cottage
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Day 7 Ski joëring
We offer here an original experience to end up your adventure in a funny way: with dog skijoring! You are still wearing your Nordic skis but this time you are pulled by one or two sled dogs. You are wearing a belt to which is attached a lanyard linked to the dog harness. Let yourself slide down the vastness of the frozen lakes in Hossa. Fun and great feelings guaranteed!
In the evening we eat the traditional Lappish meal: Käristus, or reindeer stew with cranberriesPractice time : 4 to 5 hours
Accommodation: Traditional Cottage -
Day 8 Transfer
Breakfast and transfer to Kuusamo airport.
Dates & prices
Departures for French-speaking groups:
No departure for now
International departures:
No departure for now
Trip code: S2
Included
- Airport transfers to/from Kuusamo airport
- 5 nights in cottage accommodation
- 2 nights in trappers huts
- Sauna access most evenings
- Full board from day 1 dinner to breakfast day 8
- Activities supervised by Northern Wilderness professional guides French and English Speaking
- All technical equipment needed including cold weather clothing (see 'practical info' / 'equipment' for details)
Not included
- Flights
- Insurance
Additional Options
- Single room at the hotel: €220 pp.
- Visit to our kennels: free
- Local reindeer farm visit: €12
Notes
Comfort: 3/5 Various
Level: 3/5 Challenging
International flights
Terms and conditions
Booking conditions
Invoice procedure
Cancellation policy
- Cancellation received more than 30 days prior to the departure date: a sum of €50 per person will be retained
- Cancellation received 30 to 21 days before the departure date: your deposit, 30% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received 20 to 14 days before the departure date: 50% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received 13 to 7 days before the departure date: 75% of the total trip price will be retained
- Cancellation received less than 7 days before the departure date: 100% of the total trip price will be retained
- Fixed airfares: if your airline ticket was issued in advance, often done to avoid significant surcharges, you will be charged 100% of any non-refundable fees if you wish to change or cancel your flight plan.
- Fixed in-country costs: early charges for firm bookings will be charged if you cancel or modify your trip.
- Insurance costs: if you have taken out comprehensive or cancellation insurance, the cost of insurance is due and cannot be refunded.
Changes to travel contract
Pricing
Contract transfer
Insurance
Practical info
Staff
Food
- For lunch, you will enjoy a picnic with wood-fire grilled food
- For your nights in trapper cabin you will prepare and share a dinner together with your guide
Accommodation
- The « Classical » cottage, with an only room with living room/kitchen, twin or bunked beds, private bathroom and sauna
Transportation
Vital equipment
- High protection sunglasses
- Mask
- Personal medicine kit
- Sun-cream (from the end of February)
- Vaseline or waterfree mosturising cream
- A headlamp
- A thermos, in order to always have some hot beverage with you while practicing the activities. For lunch, the guide will provide you with hot beverages.
- Boots (type SOREL) are issued on arrival and are yours throughout the week
- For snowmobile safaris : overalls and helmet
- For dogsledge safaris : winter jacket for extreme cold and leather mittens
- For each bivouac night spent in a trapper cabin: sleeping bag
Helpful equipment
- Waterproof shoes, winter hiking shoes, sports shoes or snow boots (for evening wear)
- Woolen socks
- Warm winter jacket (ski jacket or down jacket
- Ski trousers or ski overalls
- Warm pull-overs or fleece jackets
- Warm baselayer thermals : very important. Thin technical fibers as Carline or Polartec are extremely efficient.
- Expedition waterproof mitten/gloves and fitted silk gloves
- Woolen hat
- Hool, Balaclava
- Scarf
- Swimming suit (sauna)
- Microfiber towel (sauna)
- A sleeping bag linr for each overnight in trapper cabin (it goes into the sleeping bag that we lend you, for hygienic reasons)
- Your driving licence (compulsory when you drive a snowmobile)
- A credit card : we make a copy of it that is used as a deposit for all the equipment provided